8 JUNE 15, 2001
Smoke Signals
Grant hooks Chehalem Youth up to the Internet
Chehalem Youth and Family Ser
vices will be able to improve their
Internet access thanks to a grant
from the Spirit Mountain Community
Fund. The grant for $6,120 will be
used to assist the agency as they work
to improve Internet access in order
to meet the needs of youth they as
sist. Chehalem Youth and Family Ser
vices provides residential treatment
and private, special education ser
vices to children ages 11-17. The
children are referred by the juvenile
justice system and children's protec
tive services.
"The Spirit Mountain Community
Fund reaches out to help those in our
community who are most in need. We
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"Our Tribal members have
a deep commitment to our
children; this is a way for
us to give back to our
community in a way that
touches all of us the
success and mental well
being of our children."
Angela Blackwell
are pleased to be able to provide as
sistance to an organization that does
so much for the youth in our commu
nity. Our Tribal members have a
deep commitment to our children; this
is a way for us to give back to our com
munity in a way that touches all of
us the success and mental well-being
of our children," said Tribal mem
ber and Community Fund Adminis
trator Angela Blackwell.
Chehalem Youth and Family Services
has served emotionally and develop
mentally impaired youth for the last 30
years. They provide a formal educa
tion at the middle and high school level
that is separate from the regular pub
lic school system. This is a necessity
because the children are challenged
because of developmental disabilities.
And, some are victims of child abuse
and its emotional aftermath.
The grant money will help the pro
gram with the technology and learn
ing aides similar to those available
to children in the regular public
school setting. Their goal is to rein
tegrate the students in to the public
schools system whenever possible.
Tillamook Forest Interpretive Center Receives Grant
Oregonians and visitors will have a
new opportunity to discover the
Tillamook State Forest thanks to a
grant from the Spirit Mountain Com
munity Fund. The Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde recently an
nounced a $250,000 grant to the
Tillamook Forest Heritage Trust for
construction of the planned Tillamook
Forest Interpretive Center. The cen
ter, planned for opening in 2004, will
be located halfway between Tillamook
and Forest Grove on the Wilson River
Highway (Oregon 6).
"Our Tribe has always respected
the natural world around us," said
Tribal Chair Kathryn Harrison. "We
see the proposed Tillamook Forest
Interpretive Center as a great oppor
tunity to help people explore and
learn from this amazing forest."
"The Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde and the Tillamook Forest
share a fundamental and over-
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"Our Tribe has always respected
the natural world around us.
We see the proposed Tillamook
Forest Interpretive Center as a
great opportunity to help people
explore and learn from this
amazing forest."
Kathryn Harrison
arching interest: The forested land
scape itself," said Executive Director
of the Tillamook Forest Heritage
Trust Doug Decker. "Generations of
Native people knew, lived in and
shaped the Tillamook forest. Shar
ing this chapter of the Tillamook story
is one important component of the
overall experience at the center."
The center will be a place where
visitors can explore the past, present
and future of the forest through ar
tifacts, personal stories, photos, film,
exhibits, games, hands-on models
(including a functional indoor water
shed), computer simulations, interpreter-led
programs and other inno
vative media.
Outdoors, the Tillamook Forest
comes alive through salmon and elk
watching viewpoints, a demonstra
tion forest, a functional forest look-
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out, and a prominent suspension
bridge across the Wilson River. An
interconnecting network of interpre
tive trails considers the forest
through the eyes of Native Ameri
cans, homesteaders, early loggers,
firefighters, tree planters and forest
ers, fish and wildlife and a variety of
forest users. The 16,000-square foot
center will be situated alongside a
picturesque narrow gorge of the Wil
son River on a forested site planted
entirely by school children, an hour's
drive west of downtown Portland.
The Tillamook Forest Heritage
Trust is the non-profit organization
overseeing the capital campaign for
construction of the interpretive cen
ter. For more information on the cen
ter, contact the Trust at 503-359-7474
or visit the project on the web
at www.tillamookforest.org.
Teatro Milagro will Expand their
Bridges Residency Program
A $20,000 grant from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund will allow the
Miracle Theatre Group to expand its Teatro Milagro's Bridges Residency Pro
gram. Teatro Milagro is the bilingual touring company of Miracle Theatre.
The Bridges residencies are held in rural communities that demonstrate a
need for multicultural awareness and are designed to integrate diverse com
munity members into the performance. Each residency lasts three days and
involves 15-20 community members. There are three rehearsals, visits to
local schools and a free performance at the end of the program.
Because of Spirit Mountain Community Fund support, Teatro Milagro will
bring the program to Marion County schools this fall. This year's produc
tion, "Profecia" is a play about saving the earth. Through improvisation,
students are able to contribute their ideas about their future and perform
them in a bilingual theater scene.
The Spirit Mountain grant will fund residencies at Woodburn High School,
Chemawa Indian School and a residency that will unite Hispanic and Native
American students from the two schools at the Elsinore Theater in Salem.
Miracle Theatre group is the largest Hispanic arts and culture organiza
tion in the Northwest. Past works have included stories about saving the
rain forests, immigration and freedom of artistic expression.
Farmworker Housing Project Receives
$100,000 toward Education Center
The Farmworker Housing Project in Woodburn is well on its way toward
establishing an education center dedicated to educational and leadership
development programs for low-income farm workers and their families. A
grant from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund has launched their capital
campaign for the new building.
"I see this gift from The Spirit Mountain Community Fund as the spring
board for our education center," said the program's Executive Director Roberto
Franco. "It's difficult for an organization like ours to enlist the support of
major funders until we can demonstrate that a respected organization is giv
ing us their vote of confidence with a significant donation. The Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde have been the missing link we've so desperately needed."
The building will be established at the Nuevo Amanecer housing project in
Woodburn.
"When I look at the Farmworker Housing Project I am reminded of where
our people were just a few years ago as we worked from a grass roots level to
have our Tribe reinstated," said Tribal Chair Kathryn Harrison. "It took all
of our creative resourcefulness and tenacity to get us to where we are today.
I admire that same determination in those involved with the Farmworker
Housing Project. I know they will succeed and we are proud to be able to
give them a helping hand."
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